- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 8,578
I must say the domino excited me from the moment I first saw it. I was very excited that with the southard simply because it was a spydercos first flipper. But as much as i love my southard I felt it was a radical departure from the typical spyderco (leaf blade, finger choil, etc). The domino really seems to bridge the gap between spydercos core line and the southard. Many have commented on the less than optimal handle to blade ratio of the domino but honestly it will be up to each individual just how much of a sacrifice it will be for them. I know me personally all of my knives tend to get dull within the first 1 1/2" of the blade. I can also appreciate the ability to choke up on this blade and do some detailed cutting. To me the domino is all about EDC utility. Very purpose built in its design. The only thing I would say might be a downside for the knife would be guys with extremely large hands. I have medium sized hands with skinny fingers so the grip on the knife is a perfect 4 fingers and teh butt of the knife is so perfectly shaped as to not make it feel like there is nothing there under my pinky. I have a CRKT wrinkle that while it is a short four finger grip you really only feel like your gripping it with 3 of them.
The only other thing that struck me as odd was how they set up the detent. I had read before that they were really striving to improve the smoothness of the opening when compared to the southard. And while I would say it is an improvement Im still surprised at how much resistance the lockbar puts on the blade tang if you stop the blade and try to start it again. they really seem to be a fan of large amounts of lockbar pressure at the taichung factory. The knife though is still smoother than the southard. The reason though that resistance was odd to me was when i first examined the knife I noticed how large the detent ball is compared to other flippers I have. It seemed like it would sit into the blade deeper and thus need less lockbar pressure to have solid retention for flipping. But after noticing the resistance further inspection shows that the detent ball does not sit very far into the blade when closed at all. This has me thinking it was to help facilitate opening with the thumb lug and to make sure there is no play in the detent when closed. Looking at that detent ball if it were to be fully seated into the blade it looks like you would either rip the thing out or not be able to open it with the thumb hole at all. Honestly i think the setup is perfect. I have a few CRKT's that are literally like glass. And the blade will seriously just drop back into the handle with simply the weight of the blade. The problem with this is it becomes guillotine for your finger if your not careful. That little bit of resistance I feel makes for a safer knife and once the detent is overridden its as smooth as it needs to be.
The touch on this knife i like the most is the CFG10 scale they came up with. At first I had no idea what I was looking at. All the hoopla surrounding the scale didnt help me any when trying to figure out how the pattern on the face of the scale was being created. Was it machined in? was it molded like plastic and tacky looking? Turns out its neither. Its actually the carbon fiber that is uniquely weaved in a way that creates that boxy looking stepped pattern. The coolest part is that it doesnt have a clear coating or plexi laminate over the top like some carbon fiber and you can actually feel the weave. It reflects and shifts when moved under the light and really is something that needs to be seen in the flesh to appreciate. Everything about the knife is well done. The satin finish on the blade is most impressive. It really looks like a hand ground machine satin finish done on a grinder not with a mill. I really think this knife is gonna be popular. Especially with those who wanted a more spydie like flipper. If your on the fence about this knife dont hesitate if you see one pop up for sale. I have a feeling its going to be a hard one to get your hands on.
The only other thing that struck me as odd was how they set up the detent. I had read before that they were really striving to improve the smoothness of the opening when compared to the southard. And while I would say it is an improvement Im still surprised at how much resistance the lockbar puts on the blade tang if you stop the blade and try to start it again. they really seem to be a fan of large amounts of lockbar pressure at the taichung factory. The knife though is still smoother than the southard. The reason though that resistance was odd to me was when i first examined the knife I noticed how large the detent ball is compared to other flippers I have. It seemed like it would sit into the blade deeper and thus need less lockbar pressure to have solid retention for flipping. But after noticing the resistance further inspection shows that the detent ball does not sit very far into the blade when closed at all. This has me thinking it was to help facilitate opening with the thumb lug and to make sure there is no play in the detent when closed. Looking at that detent ball if it were to be fully seated into the blade it looks like you would either rip the thing out or not be able to open it with the thumb hole at all. Honestly i think the setup is perfect. I have a few CRKT's that are literally like glass. And the blade will seriously just drop back into the handle with simply the weight of the blade. The problem with this is it becomes guillotine for your finger if your not careful. That little bit of resistance I feel makes for a safer knife and once the detent is overridden its as smooth as it needs to be.
The touch on this knife i like the most is the CFG10 scale they came up with. At first I had no idea what I was looking at. All the hoopla surrounding the scale didnt help me any when trying to figure out how the pattern on the face of the scale was being created. Was it machined in? was it molded like plastic and tacky looking? Turns out its neither. Its actually the carbon fiber that is uniquely weaved in a way that creates that boxy looking stepped pattern. The coolest part is that it doesnt have a clear coating or plexi laminate over the top like some carbon fiber and you can actually feel the weave. It reflects and shifts when moved under the light and really is something that needs to be seen in the flesh to appreciate. Everything about the knife is well done. The satin finish on the blade is most impressive. It really looks like a hand ground machine satin finish done on a grinder not with a mill. I really think this knife is gonna be popular. Especially with those who wanted a more spydie like flipper. If your on the fence about this knife dont hesitate if you see one pop up for sale. I have a feeling its going to be a hard one to get your hands on.
Some of Spyderco's best stuff comes from their Taichung factory. :thumbup: